RTNG MediaCon
RTNG MediaCon '''is a semiannual Robloxian convention for the Robloxian media industries, created and managed by the Roblox Television Networks Group; specifically, the RTNG's Film and TV Cooperative division. The convention occurs twice a year; a "Winter" event is held each January and a "Summer" event is held each July. The specific dates vary depending on the event, but the convention is usually held over a weekend. The convention is one of the RTNG's efforts to strengthen ties with between the Robloxian television industry and the Robloxian film industry (also dubbed "ROBLOXiwood"), and to increase awareness of the industries throughout the whole of Robloxia. The first event was RTNG MediaCon Winter 2016, held in January 2016. History The idea for MediaCon began in October 2015, during the 2015 Octoberfest Film Festival, the largest event in the Robloxian movie industry. Held by LordCrossfire82 until 2016, the event was popular among Robloxiwood regulars. Inspired by Octoberfest, the seeds of MediaCon began to take shape through a series of discussions between BenzBot and SuperLemonade, two of the RTNG's primary members. MediaCon was initially announced between the Robloxian television and film industries in December 2015, after much debate from the members of the RTNG; notably about the inclusion of the RTNG name in the title of the event, rather than a more generic "Roblox" moniker. MediaCon Winter 2016 was announced on January 7, 2016, and took place over January 22-24, 2016. The festival was a moderate success, with around half of the main event space filled with booths from creators such as Roblox Networks Television, Rick Roll'd Productions, and rTV Networks, who created booths that were detailed and popular with guests. Panels and presentations were also emphasized, with studios like Gavent Networks, Buddbudd Studios and the Neo-Avant Institution hosting their own throughout the convention. Notably, NAI's presentation was canceled at the event; company owner DonValuta had been missing in the weeks prior. MediaCon Summer 2016 was planned as the next MediaCon event, set to take place in late July 2016; however plans were derailed by a long and tedious brand redesign process which spilled over into and past much of the previously planned preparation time for the event. The issue ended up canceling the convention entirely; as August 2016 continued it became more and more obvious that any makeup event would be unrealistic to prepare by the end of the summer. The 2017 events went as planned, however, with MediaCon Winter 2017 taking place in January and MediaCon Summer 2017, the first official Summer MediaCon, occurring in July. The fourth edition of the convention, RTNG MediaCon Winter 2018, took place between January 20, 2018, and continued until January 22, 2018. A Summer MediaCon is rumored to be happening in July of 2018 however no details have been confirmed just yet. Format RTNG MediaCon is generally held over three days, a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, on the third weekend of the selected months of the Winter and Summer events (January and July, respectively). A purpose-built event center was built by BenzBot in December 2015 to hold the event. SuperLemonade built the Roblox Central Convention Centre in anticipation of holding the event at roughly the same time; however BenzBot's event space was used. The RCCC remains a "backup" space in documentation for each convention in the event an incident occurs making the main venue unusable. As of May 2018, it has not yet had to be used. MediaCon is markedly different from the Octoberfest where the idea originated; it is structured more similarly to the IRL San Diego Comic Con. An emphasis is placed on presentation of content; through booths in the main area, panels and events in side rooms lining the ground floor, and opportunities to place posters and displays around the venue. MediaCon also offers a "Main Stage" for larger events; it had initially only been used only for the Winter 2016 and 2017 event's opening and closing presentations, but has since been used for large presentations by companies; for example, during the Summer 2017 event, in addition to that event's opening and closing presentations, the stage was utilized by Lava Lamp Entertainment to make multiple announcements regarding their networks. The event venue is a paid-access place prior to and following the convention dates. The game is free-to-play during the convention event. The centerpiece of the hall is the booth space, with all of the event's other features built around the booth space. Windows look out at the booths from all floors. The first floor is lined with "panel and presentation rooms", as they are officially called. These rooms feature seating and presentation tools for content producers to use to present their latest work or to discuss or preview recent or upcoming work. There is also an area where opportunities to purchase MediaCon- and RTNG-branded items are available (though the area has been closed for the last few events). Two information areas are available on each floor to answer basic questions about the convention. Hoverboards are notably present at MediaCon; while criticized by some they seem well-liked. Presentations, booths, and all other user content is reviewed by the RTNG FTVC prior to the event, and there are deadlines in place for content submissions for each event. The content entry period for the Winter 2016 event was unusually short due to overruns concerning building of the event venue. Participants are encouraged to send in an abundance of different types of displays, from booths to posters and so on, in order to fill the space. Conventions RTNG MediaCon Winter 2016 '''RTNG MediaCon Winter 2016 was held from January 22, 2016 through January 24, 2016. It was the first-ever MediaCon event. The event featured booths from Robloxian TV and Robloxiwood, small and large alike. The event was well-received, as visitors were impressed with the venue and enjoyed the selection of presentations and activities, but its main criticisms concerned the fact that certain parts of the event, such as the content submission period, felt rushed. RTNG MediaCon Summer 2016 RTNG MediaCon Summer 2016 was set to be held in late-July 2016; specifically the weekend of July 22-24 was picked by the FTVC in advance. Problems concerning the previous event were planned to be addressed at the Summer event, and new features were proposed. The event venue was to be slightly refreshed for the new convention, but little in format changed. The brand design for the event had not been finalized due to a pending and somewhat contested sweeping rebrand of the RTNG which will affect the logo of the Summer MediaCon. This brand design process proved much longer than expected, and ended up canceling the entire event. RTNG MediaCon Winter 2017 RTNG MediaCon Winter 2017 was the second official MediaCon event, following the failed Summer 2016 edition. Most of the plans for the Summer event were carried over to the second Winter event. This convention was held from January 13-15, 2017; the earlier date picked in order to not coincide with the US presidential inauguration, which would have occurred during MediaCon's typical weekend of choice. The Winter 2017 event introduced a two-month-long submission period for entries, a feature later carried onward into the Summer 2017 event, in response to the Winter 2016 event's rushed feeling. Turnout improved on the previous event. RTNG MediaCon Summer 2017 RTNG MediaCon Summer 2017 was the third-ever MediaCon event, and the first ever Summer edition of the convention. It was held from July 21-23, 2017, and little, in terms of the format of the event, was changed from the Winter 2017 event. Turnout continued to improve in comparison to the Winter 2017 event. RTNG MediaCon Winter 2018 RTNG MediaCon Winter 2018 was the fourth MediaCon event, held from January 20-22, 2018. It was very similar in format to the previous events with booths and panels still being an integral part of the convention. However, a notable event which occurred during this edition of the event was a raid performed by multiple members of the Roblox film community, which caused notable disruption to the 'AAK @ MediaCon' panel (AAK Corporation's MediaCon presentation) which was happening as scheduled at the time. Due to this, multiple members of the Roblox film community have been banned from the Summer 2018 convention. RTNG MediaCon Summer 2018 RTNG MediaCon Summer 2018 was the fifth MediaCon event, and the second Summer edition of the convention, held from July 20-22, 2018. Due to the incident which occurred during the Winter 2018 event, many Robloxiwood community members were barred from submitting content or in some instances participating in the event. RTNG MediaCon Winter 2019 RTNG MediaCon Winter 2019 was the sixth MediaCon event, and the fourth Winter edition of the convention, and was held from January 18-20, 2019. Not much is expected to change compared to previous iterations of the event, though early indications suggest that this edition of the event attempted to feature a broader range of Robloxian media creators than simply television and film industry producers. RTNG MediaCon Summer 2019 RTNG MediaCon Summer 2019 is the seventh MediaCon event, and the third Summer edition of the convention. Due to the unfortunate news of the passing of You Entertainment CEO Gareetti, this edition of the event was put on hold, and is planned to officially resume on the rain date listed in the official guide, which is July 26-28, 2019.Category:Event